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We’ve seen the Lumia 900, 800, 710 (shown above) and even a rumoured 910, but it seems there’s another Nokia on the block — the Lumia 610.
TechRadar has it on good authority that Nokia’s aiming squarely at the budget end of the market with the 610, which the naming scheme would certainly indicate. It’ll also apparently be running Windows Phone Tango, which is meant to bring in support for lower-powered, lower-cost hardware.
Both are meant to launch at MWC along with the international edition of the Lumia 900, aka the 910. A cheap Windows Phone might not be of much interest to the iPhone and Nexus crowds, but if the price is right, it might give budget Android a run for its money. This kind of reminds me of Microsoft’s last attempt at a budget friendly phone though, and we all know how well that worked. [TechRadar]
The 710 felt pretty budget already, but if the 610 happens to improve on the 710, whilst keeping costs down, then Nokia might be on to a winner.
It’s only going to feel even more budget, as they cut corners…
Resistive touchscreen anyone?????
Windows Phone is becoming more like WindowsME and Microsoft Bob by the day.
I know loads of people who aren’t into tech and balk at the idea of spending £200 on a phone sim-free let alone on contract and would rather have something that feels plasticky compared to a Nexus or iPhone if it means spending less.
Of course it won’t appeal to someone looking at a mid-high end device, but if it is under £150 PAYG and free on a cheapish contract, I think it will do pretty well irrespective of what OS is on it. Just look at how well symbian was selling before Nokia pulled it, and look at how many people are still buying feature phones – a decent cheap Nokia smartphont could really help push Nokia and WP7 to a much bigger marketshare.
Agreed. I wonder how much of the Windows Phone snappiness they’ll be able to maintain on cheaper hardware.
Has Microsoft specified a minimum hardware spec for Windows Phone 7, I could only afford a cheap phone (LG Cookie owner here) but share your concern about whether the whole experience would be tainted by lagginess.